Everything's Rosie

The eponymous star of Everything’s Rosie is the brainchild of V&S Entertainment MD, Vickie Corner, and was in development for nine years before going into production. The vibrant and colourful show was first broadcast on CBeebies in May 2010, immediately proving a hit with audiences – peaking with a 25 per cent share on the channel in December 2010. A second series quickly followed and a third is in development for broadcast next year.

The success of the show in the UK has led very quickly to European take up and RTVE - Spain, Canal Panda - Portugal and RAI YOYO - Italy are already on board, whilst a new deal has just been signed with France Television. Spain in particular has taken a shine to Rosie - the show debuted on Spanish screens in March of this year and airs daily on RTVE’s CLAN TV. Rosie proved to be an immediate hit, achieving an initial audience share of 64 per cent in the four to six year old age group, whilst the audience peak in just three weeks of broadcast was 583,000 and the average share over three weeks in March was 43.6 per cent for children aged four to six years old.

According to Julie Quirke, director of licensing at V&S Entertainment, extraordinary production values and funny and engaging storylines have been central to Rosie’s success as a true family viewing experience. “One of the key factors is that Rosie is a confident and independent pre–school role model and this combined with the distinct visual look define Everything’s Rosie as a stand out series of immense quality for the long–term,” she observes.

In terms of licensing, the brand is making its mark, both in the UK and abroad. Over 20 partners have signed in the UK, with Vivid leading the pack as master toy, supporting toy launch with a strong TV advertising and marketing campaign.

In addition, Rosie is already attracting significant interest from Spanish licensees and a full licensing programme is being rolled out that includes partners such as IMC, Safta, Stor, Astro and CYP Imports, whilst the toy line from Vivid has already launched, distributed by Giochi Preziosi Spain. V&S Entertainment is also commencing M&L programmes in Portugal, France and Italy.

“The reaction from buyers both in the UK and Spain has been fantastic and initial listings are incredibly strong across all retailers,” comments Quirke. “It seems that buyers have recognised there is a gap in the market for a new girls property and that Rosie is the brand to fill it. The fact that Everything’s Rosie is already an established screen presence is a further comfort factor that underlines the huge consumer base waiting for Rosie merchandise.”

Quirke says that the product packaging is utilising key elements that are instantly recognisable from the show to create stand out on shelf. “The usual challenge of launching a pre–school brand in a saturated market did not apply to Rosie, as the quality was immediately apparent to audience, licensees and retailers alike, she observes.

With Rosie now established as a top ranking pre–school brand, with a range of products that reflect the high production values of the TV series, what does the future hold? “Our long–term strategy is to establish Rosie as the number one pre–school brand in key markets,” states Quirke. “We are now signing agents and top level licensees in key territories to ensure that our brand strategy is implemented to successfully build the brand long–term. The audience reaction in Spain is a powerful indicator that the distinct visual look of the series and strong cast of colourful characters is resonating with an international fanbase, creating enormous worldwide licensing potential for the future.”